Phillip Brooks is the new principal of Johnson Abernathy Graetz High School in Montgomery, the second-largest school in Montgomery Public Schools^↗ and one that carries a name chosen to honor the civil rights movement that shaped the city.

"It is an honor to serve as principal of Johnson Abernathy Graetz High School and to lead a community with such a rich history and purpose," Brooks said in a statement released by the district. "My focus is on building strong relationships, creating a safe and supportive environment, and ensuring every student has access to the opportunities and resources they need to succeed."

Brooks succeeds Carlos Hammonds, who was appointed principal in July 2023 shortly after the school's renaming. MPS describes Brooks as a veteran educator with a background in school leadership, student support, and community engagement.

A school with a new identity

JAG High School operated as Jefferson Davis High School for more than 50 years before the Montgomery Public Schools board voted 5-2 in November 2022 to rename it. The school now honors three figures from Montgomery's civil rights history: Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr., the federal judge whose rulings helped dismantle segregation; Ralph Abernathy, the pastor and close associate of Martin Luther King Jr.; and Rev. Robert Graetz, the white Lutheran minister who supported the Montgomery Bus Boycott and whose home was bombed for it. The school unveiled its new mascot, the Jaguars, in July 2023.

The renaming placed a marker: this is a school that decided to reckon with its own history. Brooks will lead a campus of roughly 1,466 students where the work of defining what comes after that reckoning is still underway.

The district Brooks joins

Superintendent Dr. Zickeyous Byrd, who arrived in May 2025 from Selma City Schools, expressed confidence in the appointment.

"Johnson Abernathy Graetz High School carries a powerful legacy, and it is critical that we continue moving that legacy forward with strong, student-centered leadership," Byrd said. "Mr. Brooks is a relationship-driven leader who understands the importance of accountability, academic growth, and community connection. I am confident in his ability to lead JAG into its next chapter and deliver meaningful results for our students and families."

Montgomery Public Schools is navigating enrollment shifts that give that confidence particular weight. The district has posted 10 consecutive years of decline, falling from a peak of 31,082 students in 2016 to 24,911 in 2026, a loss of nearly 6,200 students.

JAG's own trajectory mirrors the district pattern. Enrollment fell from 1,933 in 2015 to a low of 1,427 in 2025 before ticking up slightly to 1,466 this year. That small rebound, during a year when the district as a whole lost another 580 students, is a data point worth watching.

The demographic composition of JAG's student body reflects the broader district. Montgomery Public Schools is roughly 76% Black, 14% Hispanic, and 8% white as of 2025. The district's English learner population has more than doubled since 2016, reaching 3,155 students, or about 12% of enrollment, a shift that touches staffing, curriculum, and the daily work of building a school culture.

What Brooks named first

In his statement, Brooks listed his priorities in a specific order: relationships, then safety, then access to resources. He closed with attendance and academic outcomes.

"Together, we will work to strengthen attendance, improve academic outcomes, and empower every student to reach their full potential," he said.

The attendance reference is not incidental. JAG earned a D grade from the Alabama State Department of Education in 2023-24, up from an F the prior year, a trajectory that suggests momentum even if the starting point is low. Brooks inherits a school that has shown it can move in the right direction.

Montgomery Public Schools is in a period of reinvention under Byrd's "Vision 2026" strategic plan, which includes converting two elementary schools into full magnet programs and establishing a workforce development center. Brooks will lead one of the district's largest campuses through that transition, in a school that already proved it is willing to change what it calls itself. The harder question, the one every new principal faces, is whether the work inside the building can match the ambition of the name on the outside.

Phillip Brooks did not respond to a separate request for comment. Rosanna Smith Brewton, MPS Director of Communications, provided the district's official statement on his behalf.

Detailed code that reproduces the analysis and figures in this article is available exclusively to EdTribune subscribers.

Data source

Data from the Alabama State Department of Education, accessed via the ALEdTribune data archive.